[nagdu] The Tell Tale Tail
Lisa belville
missktlab1217 at frontier.com
Mon Feb 7 17:59:10 UTC 2011
AT least she figured out she's making the noise. Katy will start banging
away at a door frame or something crinkly like a shower curtain and stop
suddenly to look behind her to see where the noise is coming from. then she
starts flailing away as if nothing happened. I honestly wonder if it's
painful for them to slam their tails into things like that.
The handle on my recliner apparently doesn't qualify as an exercise
machine...who knew ?
Lisa Belville
missktlab1217 at frontier.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Parisian" <eggmann at mts.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 7:10 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] The Tell Tale Tail
> Indeed, the lab's tail is thick and solid, not like the retriever, all
> fluff and underneath, not much stuff. My shepherd had the most brutal
> tail of all my five dogs.
>
> I had a yellow lab who seemed to get the biggest bang (also literally)
> when I would be standing beside a file cabinet at just the right angle.
> The harder she wagged, the better it sounded to her, and the better it
> sounded to her--well...
>
> I recall once waiting in a line-up to get lunch, wearing my four piece
> summer suit, (shorts, t-shirt, and sandels,) when Miss Boots got on one of
> her many regular happies and gave me a real flogging. A couple of young
> ladies behind me thought this was extremely funny. I had the perfect
> cure--I waited until the line closed up, praised Miss Boots for being a
> very good girl--a serious tail waging inducement--and the giggles were
> quite frequently interspersed with human-sounding yelps. Boots nore I
> ever barked or yelped.
>
> Doug: Don't we all love our true tails?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lisa belville" <missktlab1217 at frontier.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 6:32 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] The Tell Tale Tail
>
>
>> No, that's what makes it so painful. She's a pure Lab with that rock
>> hard labby tail. It's actually painful if she slaps my leg at just the
>> right angle.
>>
>> The handle on my recliner apparently doesn't qualify as an exercise
>> machine...who knew ?
>> Lisa Belville
>> missktlab1217 at frontier.com
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 5:40 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] The Tell Tale Tail
>>
>>
>>> Lisa,
>>>
>>> /rotfl? Is she a golden? I love the Weapon of Mass destruction wag. I
>>> have
>>> a friend with a golden doodle who would probably enjoy sharing notes,
>>> especially at Christmas. /lol/
>>>
>>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Lisa belville
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 11:55 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: [nagdu] The Tell Tale Tail
>>>
>>> Tami and all,
>>>
>>> Katy is an extremely active tail wagger. She even wags it in her sleep.
>>> I
>>> love the feeling of walking along in harness and feeling her tail brush
>>> against me. I'm convinced that now that she's turned six her tail
>>> bearings
>>> are going to go out and I'll have to replace the wag train. <grin>
>>>
>>> She has three distinctive wags, depending on the occasion. There's the
>>> I'm
>>> so happy I can hardly contain myself wag she does when we're about to
>>> snap
>>> on the harness and go to work. Then there's the Weapon of mass
>>> destruction
>>> wag she has while she's playing or giving someone affection. This wag
>>> is
>>> extremely dangerous for stereo remotes, bottles, candles, or anything
>>> sitting on a low table, hence the WMD designation. Then there's the
>>> slow
>>> and sedate gulf wag if we're in someplace quite and I praise her for
>>> taking
>>> me to the specific place I asked her to find.
>>>
>>> I just love how expressive these dogs and their tails can be.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The handle on my recliner apparently doesn't qualify as an exercise
>>> machine...who knew ?
>>> Lisa Belville
>>> missktlab1217 at frontier.com
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
>>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 12:25 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crisis Averted!
>>>
>>>
>>>> Julie,
>>>>
>>>> Most of the time, I'm used to it, and have my pat answers to the usual
>>>> questions and comments to deliver with a smile without having to put in
>>>> much
>>>> effort. People are pretty good about keeping their hands to
>>>> themselves,
>>>> since GDB has the populace pretty well trained, but they do flock to
>>>> the
>>>> Adorable One. I swear there are days Mitzi sends out some sort of
>>>> irresistable magnetic force. /lol/ I've had friends like that, and it
>>>> used
>>>> to crack me up all the attention they would get and graciously handle
>>>> much
>>>> the way Mitzi does just by walking down the street. With them,
>>>> however, I
>>>> could just sort of blend into the background and watch the show. I
>>>> didn't
>>>> have to stand around and answer questions for them. /lol/ I'm more of
>>>> a
>>>> people watcher or a listener than a center of attention type, so I'm
>>>> still
>>>> not entirely comfortable knowing I'm part of a traveling show. Then
>>>> there
>>>> are those days when one is in a funk and doesn't want to smile and wave
>>>> like
>>>> a bleeping prom queen in the local parade. /smile/
>>>>
>>>> So I decided to let Mitzi's tail grow out some, first in the pom pom,
>>>> which
>>>> saves saying, "She's a poodle" every third step, since the people who
>>>> would
>>>> be asking are telling others for me. Which cracks me up until it
>>>> starts
>>>> to
>>>> give me the willies because everybody is watching, or so it seems.
>>>> Also,
>>>> I
>>>> think the pom pom is ridiculous! So now I'm growing it out into a fan
>>>> tail,
>>>> which can be combed out into a fan shape or combed down to resemble a
>>>> waving
>>>> horsey type tail -- say like that of a happy Arabian. So I must have
>>>> that,
>>>> naturally. Only it works really well on some of the poodles I know
>>>> with
>>>> the
>>>> thinner, more wiry show coat. Only Mitzi has a super thick, soft
>>>> working
>>>> coat that you can get lost in (literally if you put off grooming a
>>>> couple
>>>> of
>>>> extra weeks). It's getting pretty long, but does not comb out straight
>>>> and
>>>> fall nicely in to a horsey-tail fan. In silhouette, it looks more like
>>>> a
>>>> Japanese paper fan or a French fan or some such. Before it starts
>>>> returning
>>>> to something more like a pouf. I keep trying, in case I can get it
>>>> figured
>>>> out.
>>>>
>>>> Only people now walk behind me giggling! Mitzi's expressive with that
>>>> tail
>>>> -- I call it her happy meter -- and apparently even when we're just
>>>> going
>>>> along doing normal guide dog stuff like forward, left, right, halt like
>>>> we
>>>> know what we're doing, the tail is carrying on a separate life of it's
>>>> own.
>>>> /lol/ Took me forever to figure out what the giggling was about. I
>>>> had
>>>> become convinced there was a traveling mime troupe in the area that
>>>> just
>>>> happened to be performing somewhere in front of me wherever I went.
>>>> What
>>>> a
>>>> great thing! I could pretend I was in Paris! That is just so... Then
>>>> finally someone went from giggling to gushing... I caught the words
>>>> "poodle" and "service dog". Oh, you have got to be kidding me! I did
>>>> a
>>>> lot
>>>> of checking out what we could possibly be doing that was so hilarious
>>>> and
>>>> was please to discover that we were both in proper position and that I
>>>> was
>>>> much more aware of her position throughout the length of her body than
>>>> I
>>>> realized, because we do that without thinking now. Never thought that
>>>> would
>>>> happen!
>>>>
>>>> Took me three weeks to figure out what the cause of all the public
>>>> hysteria
>>>> was. That freaking fan tail. OMG! I do not know what to do. Do I go
>>>> back
>>>> to having the tail cut short like the rest of her coat, in which case
>>>> it
>>>> looks like a docked retrieving breed tail? (Is that a Portugese Water
>>>> Dog?
>>>> No, she's a poodle!) Do I go back to a small pom pom to answer the
>>>> question
>>>> on everyone's mind? Ugh! I mean, of course, it's cute on her, but...
>>>>
>>>> When I was choosing a dog breed and then a dog, it did not occur to me,
>>>> not
>>>> once, that I need to include "not cute" in my specs. I swear! Maybe
>>>> part
>>>> of the problem is the absurdly weirdly wonderful (most of the time)
>>>> culture
>>>> around here, especially in the Portland Metro area, but still! What
>>>> kind
>>>> of
>>>> self-respecting guide dog user spends months of her life trying to
>>>> solve
>>>> the
>>>> dilemma of what to do about her guide dog's tale?
>>>>
>>>> If I ever get the budget to travel just because, I want to go to New
>>>> York
>>>> or
>>>> Boston or somewhere else with a reputation for unfriendlines, just to
>>>> see
>>>> what happens.
>>>>
>>>> For the record, someone did once ask me, nervously, if my dog is a pit
>>>> bull.
>>>> For one wild moment, while I supressed my own outburst of hilarity, I
>>>> thought of saying yes. She's the curly, skinny variety with the long
>>>> pointy
>>>> head and nose. They're the *really* dangerous ones. I didn't, but it
>>>> would
>>>> have been fun. /lol/
>>>>
>>>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>> Behalf
>>>> Of Julie J
>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 9:48 AM
>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crisis Averted!
>>>>
>>>> Tami,
>>>>
>>>> I've had a few people think Monty is a pit bull, but then again I've
>>>> had
>>>> people think my long ago pet Beagle was a pit bull. *smile* I can't
>>>> remember anyone running screaming when they see Monty, but I also don't
>>>> get
>>>> a lot of interference when he's along. I get a lot of comments about
>>>> how
>>>> beautiful he is, but it's rare that anyone gets real close or touches
>>>> him
>>>> without asking. I should say tries to touch him without asking because
>>>> he
>>>> will duck petting from strangers.
>>>>
>>>> I appreciate this more than words can express. I don't think I could
>>>> ever
>>>> work with a Golden Retriever because I don't think I could deal with
>>>> the
>>>> unwanted attention.
>>>>
>>>> Julie
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
>>>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 11:33 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crisis Averted!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Doug,
>>>>>
>>>>> There have been a couple times when Mitzi's been in super rock star
>>>>> mode,
>>>>> I've actually found myself standing around waiting for her adoring
>>>>> fans
>>>>> to
>>>>> let her move on the adoring fans waiting just ahead and actively
>>>>> mulling
>>>>> over the pit bull option. /lol/ I might be a nice change to have
>>>>> people
>>>>> run screaming out of my path everywhere I go.
>>>>>
>>>>> No, I'm not seriously going to do any such thing! Not because I think
>>>>> one
>>>>> couldn't get a pit with a suitable temperament, but the public
>>>>> reactions
>>>>> would be a nightmare, and you would have to put in so many added
>>>>> safety
>>>>> precautions and this and that to protect the dog from the public and
>>>>> the
>>>>> public from the dog (they are heavy machinery, so a boo boo can be
>>>>> disastrous) that it wouldn't be worth going anywhere with it. Plus, I
>>>>> do
>>>>> strongly believe that due to the power of the breed, you need to be
>>>>> neurotic
>>>>> about your fences and stuff if you're going to have one as a pet, even
>>>>> if
>>>>> it's the sweetest creature on earth. I'm too lazy! /lol/
>>>>>
>>>>> Just saying. Using one would give you the sidewalk, bike lane, middle
>>>>> of
>>>>> the freeway, pretty much every path you want to walk, all too
>>>>> yourself.
>>>>> /evil grin/
>>>>>
>>>>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>>> Behalf
>>>>> Of Doug Parisian
>>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 8:50 AM
>>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crisis Averted!
>>>>>
>>>>> I suspect the answer for not training certain dog breeds to perform
>>>>> specific
>>>>>
>>>>> tasks, whether that be working as a guide, therapy dog, bomb and drug
>>>>> detection, police work, etc--these tasks require specific temperaments
>>>>> not
>>>>> found in many breeds.
>>>>>
>>>>> Doug: Ya think many folks would want to pet my guide pitbull?
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Alysha" <anjeans at att.net>
>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 8:35 AM
>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] Crisis Averted!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>>> I just wanted to give you a quick update on my issue with my
>>>>>> coworker's
>>>>>> allergies. We bought 6 air purifiers that we scattered all around our
>>>>>> working space, and they seem to have done the trick. He's no longer,
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> my
>>>>>
>>>>>> knowledge, complaining of any allergy-related symptoms, and
>>>>>> management
>>>>>> has
>>>>>
>>>>>> assured me that me and my dog won't be restricted from common areas
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> the
>>>>>
>>>>>> building. So thank you all for your responses, and I'm so relieved
>>>>>> this
>>>>>> turned out alright! I wonder why guide dog schools don't train more
>>>>>> hypoallergenic breeds to prevent these things from happening
>>>>>> altogether.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Alysha
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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